BEC Conference 2025 kicked off in Las Vegas this week with a Welcome Reception. A packed room enjoyed food and drinks and lots of networking, with the glazing industry making connections before the essential education event.
The event schedule features 3 keynotes and educational sessions covering tariffs, second-chance hiring, and trends shaping glazing. Plus, Nicole Harris, NGA's president and CEO, received the inaugural NGA Business Leadership in the Glass and Glazing Industry Award, in recognition of her dedication to the association and the industry for 35 years. The NGA Installing Committee met to discuss progress made by its tasks groups, and what's next for value engineering, Division 10, and more. See a recap from the Committee.
See below for live coverage throughout the event. Or follow along on LinkedIn.
Educational Sessions
Near- and Long-Term Economic Trends that will Impact Your Market Success
Jay Bowman, Partner at FMI, emphasizes the vital importance of understanding economic trends that will shape the market landscape over the upcoming years. He categorizes these trends into near-term, mid-term, and long-term considerations, and advocates for businesses to proactively prepare for future challenges by analyzing key economic indicators, tariffs, and market dynamics.
“Thinking about how you want to position the company, given market conditions, I think, it’s a critical aspect of success,” says Bowman. “The best firms who always make the good decisions make it look easy. They never put themselves in a position where they’re determined by consequences or circumstances.”
Bowman outlines several near-term indicators crucial for planning the next 3-5 years, such as construction spending, manufacturing growth, and labor market signals like unemployment rates. In the mid-term perspective spanning 5-10 years, Bowman discusses the evolving motivations behind construction projects, distinguishing between economically sensitive segments and those driven by external factors. Recognizing that construction demand can peak in response to technological advancements and regulatory changes is vital for strategic positioning. Looking to the long-term (10-15 years), Bowman suggests that organizations must embrace megatrends as they prepare for unprecedented challenges. Enterprises are urged to become more agile and innovative, prioritizing the ability to adapt faster than their competition.
“It’s not about the ability to change, it’s your ability to change faster than anybody else,” says Bowman in closing. “Be cognizant of what’s going on and when you see a change, recognize it for what it is and be ready to make that change. … Build your network. Forecasts get old and the world is dynamic and constantly changing. Your best information comes from your relationship and conversations with suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, owners… all those people. Lean into those networks as best you can.”
State of the Glazing Industry: Getting Back to Basics
In response to the uncertainty and slowdown in construction, Jeff Haber of W&W Glass, encourages glazing firms to "get back to basics." If we “focus ourselves and our staff on basic concepts, we’ll be in a better position,” he says.
Those basic concepts Haber is referencing are core business tasks that he says industry leaders should focus on. These include: Estimating, engineering, project management, recruitment and retention, financial management and intangibles. Intangibles include things like checking in if your corporate leadership is involved in all phases of business and seeing if your customers are happy with your work and service.
Things you should ask yourself when getting “back to basics;” Do we have the right people in the right places? Have we invested in the development of our people? Are we embracing the technology that’s available in the marketplace? Are we prioritizing safety and compliance, not just physical safety but compliance with contract documents?
The Second-Chance Workforce
Jenni Chase, NGA’s VP of workforce development, sat down with Marcus Singleton and Courtney Little of ACE Glass to discuss the “second chance workforce.” The second chance workforce is employees and prospective employees who have been previously incarcerated, are in the process of reacclimating to society and looking for gainful employment.
ACE Glass has been employing people who have been previously incarcerated for about 20 years now and provided insights on where to get connections and the benefits of doing so. Little says that secular organizations and halfway houses in your area are great resources for making connections within your community. Jodi Martinez added during the Q&A session that job fairs can be another resource.
A success story at ACE Glass on this topic is two of their employees who have now been with the company for 20 years currently hold management positions. One of ACE Glass’ most recent second-chance hires is also the second female glazier in the company’s 40-year history. This employee has taken many classes on MyGlassClass.com to further her knowledge of the trade and hone her skills. When second chance employees begin work at ACE Glass, Little and Singleton say they start working in the fabrication shop with a mentor to help them learn their way around, and have the opportunity to move up from there over time.
Little and Singleton add that it’s great to know they are giving back to their community in a positive way while helping people get back on their feet.
Power of Safety
Vice President of Insurance and Safety at Boyd, Shackelford, Barnett & Dixon, LLC Jeff Wolfla, CRIS, CESCP, says there are five steps to building a safety culture:
- Start with leadership
- Develop the safety vision
- Set goals for safety vision
- Create the plan
- Build your safety culture
“Your leaders in the room need to fully understand what your safety program is,” says Wolfla. “Leaders are responsible for establishing and driving safety values. Are they just written on the wall? Or do you live them? Great leaders create high-trust environments.” Wolfla says that safety plans are “living programs.” They have to be more than just a handbook on your shelf; you need to live it everyday. The day finished with tabletop displays and networking.
Trends That Are Changing the Flat Glass Industry
Suresh Devisetti and Alan Kinder from Guardian Glass North America discussed the accelerating changes in the North American architectural glass market.
The presentation identified three transformative trends driving change in the industry: advanced glazing performance, digital transformation and supply-chain adaptation. Advanced glazing performance focuses on improving thermal and solar performance while addressing sustainability through lower-embodied carbon and bird-friendly glass. The demand for laminated glass is also rising due to its safety, aesthetic and structural benefits.
“Glazing laminated glass is the answer,” says Devisetti. “We’re seeing a rising demand for laminated glass in the industry, mainly driven by three things. One is more safety regulations, the second is a lot of concern about security and the climate, and the third is a significant advancements in the laminating technology.”
Addressing lower-embodied carbon, Kinder says, “Daylighting, U-value and heat gain coefficient are all based on the operational carbon, the cost to run that building in the built environment for the life cycle of that building. It’s a growing trend; AIA, mechanical engineers and structural engineers have all made commitments to have lower embodied carbon content within the design, the selection of their materials and the construction process to create those buildings.";
Digital transformation is reshaping business processes, enhancing customer engagement and leveraging technologies like AI for better decision-making. The presentation also emphasized the need for efficient supply chains and adaptability in responding to global market dynamics.
Killer Contract Clauses and Other Legal Pitfalls
Chip Bachara, a construction lawyer from Bachara Construction Law Group, and Brock West, president of Glass Systems Inc. conducted a dynamic Q+A session, highlighting significant contract clauses and potential legal challenges faced by glazing contractors. Key topics included the implications of professional liability, especially concerning subcontractors, the nuisances posed by out-of-state competition, and the impact of supply chain bypassing.
Additionally, there were updates on immigration enforcement that could influence industry operations. Employment lawyer Michelle Barnett shared how to deal with situations on a construction jobsite over construction contractors with regard to immigration status of employees and subcontractors. When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows up, with or without a search warrant, Barnett advises being prepared.
“It’s like a fire drill at school growing up. You practice so that you know exactly what to do, and it usually never happens. I would recommend first and foremost that you train all of your managers, foremen, supervisors and front office staff that if ICE arrives to respond ‘I’m not authorized to accept this [warrant]. Let me call my manager or owner.’ You don’t want them to answer questions and potentially create liability.”
The session concluded with actionable insights, guiding contractors on how to navigate contract negotiations while minimizing risk exposure, particularly regarding payment terms and indemnification clauses. Overall, the presentation served as a valuable resource for understanding and mitigating legal pitfalls in construction contracting.
New Codes & Standards that Impact Your Glazing Business
NGA's Urmilla Jokhu Sowell and NGA code consultant Thomas Culp from Birch Point Consulting outlined NGA's advocacy efforts, highlighting their commitment to defending the glass industry’s interests while promoting glazing's positive attributes across construction and building sectors. They emphasized the importance of staying updated on evolving regulations, focusing on critical areas such as bird-friendly glazing and its legislative implications, school security designed to protect educational environments, and energy code trends.
“A couple of proposals that we are working on right now is a school security proposal and a daylighting proposal,” says Sowell. “The building codes do not currently reference security other than the fire-rated section that references safety, but not security. One of the things that we’re working on is how school security fits into the building codes. In our proposal, all of the main entrances should have a view of pedestrians or vehicle traffic and any windows, doors and sidelites in the main entrances shall be rated with ASTM F3561 … which is an assembly test, not a glass test.”
“I’ve received a lot of questions and inquiries on the new administration and what it means for energy codes,” says Culp. “What does Trump 2.0 mean for energy codes and glazing products when they have an obviously different viewpoint than the previous administration. … From a high-level perspective, I expect we’ll see the same reaction that we saw during Trump 1.0, where the federal government steps out, and states and cities may fill in … with states and large cities setting their own targets and developing their own codes.”
The day ended with a jam-packed Table Top reception sponsored by Beacon Waterproofing Products Specified Technologies, Inc. - STI Firestop. Day 2 brings technology, efficiency and leadership. Stay tuned.
